Previous residents

AUTHOR

April 2025
Instagram
https://kustantamo.sets.fi/kirjailijat/sanna-hirvonen/

Photo: Miikka Pirinen

CREATIVE DESIGNER

March 2025
Instagram

— As a multidisciplinary designer interested in the semiotics and language of an ‘everyday’ vernacular - domestic / urban / architectural / landscape - the Leaf house provided a fitting backdrop and immersion into Jan-Erik's thesis, both complementing my existing research yet cultivating new ideas around narrative, the act of symbolic gesturing and alternative modes of creative and domestic production.

ARTIST

January-February 2025
Website

VISUAL ARTIST

December 2024
Youtube
Instagram

– My time in the house, the house ´as total artwork' provided me the winter oasis to hibernate reflect and lay the foundations for my next series 'The Dream Fire'. Like all good homes, I worked, rested, washed, dressed, cooked, ate, gathered and readied myself for the outside. Unlike any other home I have stayed in tho this house gave the strangesensation of occupying a living entity. If it could speak perhaps it might mumble out, it's secrets visions...

urging...
bend the walls...
bloom the rooms...
bridge the gaps...
of your most reduced needs...
of your hearts wildest desires...
In a bold brave voice, daring softly...
"dream..."

With gratitude to Jan-Erik, Marjo and Nina and all those of the Life on a Leaf association for ensuring this house continues its important dialogues. Last but not least thank you to Svenska Kulturfondens arbets stipendium for supporting my stay.

ARTIST

January–August 2024
Artist Register

Photo: The National Gallery / Pirje Mykkänen

VISUAL ARTIST, FILMMAKER

September–December 2023
Website

Photo: Pasi Autio

For Levlin’s stay, the Life on a Leaf association was granted the Katy Gyllström residency grant by Föreningen Konstsamfundet.

– The residency offered me a fantastic opportunity to immerse myself in working with my project for which I had filmed material. During the stay, I wrote the raw version of the film’s manuscript, the film’s voice over which is the framework of the work, and also filmed a large part of the Super8 material. The location itself, next to the forest where I could walk and rest my mind, but also within cycling distance from the center, was excellent.

RESEARCHER

July–August 2023
LinkedIn

– Usually, I live and work in a very urban environment, so it was a completely different experience in the Leaf house. I came with the expectation that this environment might stimulate my thinking, but I tried not to be too biased. I had many new ideas about how to think outside the box and leave the academic ivory tower, so to say.

VISUAL ARTIST

May–June 2023
Website
Instagram

 – It was a truly wonderful stay. The winding entrance, dreamy living room, colourful kitchen, undulating concrete walls, spiralling spine of a staircase, bluebell lookout, calm workrooms, peeking windows into the forest, rooftop thinking spot and many more details, will stay with me forever. 

This building has left a mark on my psyche and I’m glad of it. I always felt calm and safe inside the house, with its gentle ventilator lulling me to sleep at nights, like some kind of wise creature telling me: “It will all be OK”.